President Obama declared a state of emergency in Flint, Michigan, in January after tests revealed that the city’s tap water is unsafe to drink. The water contains dangerously high levels of lead, a metal that is toxic if ingested by humans. The National Guard handed out bottled water and water filters to Flint’s 100,000 residents.
The city used to get water from nearby Lake Huron, but state officials switched the water supply to the Flint River in 2014 to save money. Soon after, residents noticed their water looked brown and tasted strange. Some people got rashes after bathing. Others fell ill after drinking the tap water. Still, government officials assured them the water was safe. Frustrated with the government’s inaction, citizens of Flint called in experts from Virginia Tech to investigate.